authentiques de ceux qui ont affilié à ces découvertes, et
fur d’autres connoiflances ; dont on rend raifon dans un,
mémoire leparé : à St. Peterfburg, a L’Academie Imperials
desfciences, 1 7 5 4 . i 7S^-
This map was publiffied under the infpetftion of Mr..
Muller, and is ftill prefixed to his account of the Ruffian,
difcoveries*. The part which exhibits the new difcovered.
ifles and the coaft of America, was chiefly taken from,
the chart of Beering’s expedition. Accordingly that continent
is reprefented as advancing, between 50 and 6 a
degrees of latitude, to within a fmall difiance of Kamtchatka.
Nor could there be any reafon to fufpeót, that
fuch experienced failors as Beering and Tfchirikoffhad
miftaken a chain of iflands for promontories belonging to
America, until fubfequent navigators had actually failed
through that very part, which was fuppofed to bé a
continent.
4. A fécond chart publilhed by the Academy, but not
under the infpeélion of Mr. Muller, bears the fame title
as the former.
N o u v e lle carte des découvertes faites par des v a iffe au x
Ru ffiens au t côtés in conn u s de 1’Am e r iq u e , 8cc. 1 7 7 3 .
* This map was publilhed by Jefferys under the following title : “ A
“ Map of the Eifcoveries made by the Ruffians on the North Weft
“ coaft of America, publilhed by the Royal Academy o f Sciences at
“ Peterlburg. Republiffied by Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to his
“ Majéfty, 1761.”
It
It is for the moft part a copy of a manufcript chart
known in Ruffia by the name of the chart of the Promy-
Ihlenics, or merchant adventurers, and which was
fketched from the mere reports of perfons who had failed
to the New Difcovered Iflands. As to the fize and po-
fition of the New Difcovered Iflands, this chart of the
Academy is extremely erroneous: it is however free
from the above-mentioned miftake, which runs through
all the former charts, namely, the reprefenting o f the
coaft of America, between 50 and 60 degrees of latitude,
as contiguous to Kamtchatka. It likewife removes
that part of tlje fame continent lying in latitude
66, from 210° longitude to 224% and in its ftead lays
down a large ifiand, which ftretches between latitude
64° and 7 10 30', from 207° longitude to 218% to
within a fmall diftance of both continents. But whether
this latter alteration be equally juftifiable or not,
is a queftion, the decifion of which muft be left to future
navigators *.
5. Carte
* Mr. Muller has long ago acknowledged, in the moft candid and
public manner, the incorredtnefs o f the former chart, as far as- it relates
to the part which reprefents America, as contiguous to Kamtchatka :
but he ftill maintains his opinion concerning the : adtual vicinity o f the
two continents, in an higher latitude. The following quotation is taken'
from a letter written by Mr. Muller, in 1774, of which I haye a.copy
in my poffeffiQn. “ Pofterity muft judge i f the new chart of the Aca-
“ demy is to be preferred to the former one for removing the conti-
O o 2 “ nent